“We are the only ones capable of
providing the type of presence that
gives America a strategic advantage.
We’re just not there when we’re
needed, we’re there all the time. We
uniquely operate around the globe,
around the clock. We ensure stability, we deter potential adversaries,
we reassure allies,” he said.

“We provide our nation’s leaders
with options in times of crisis,”
Mabus said. “We get there faster, we stay on station longer, we
bring everything we need with us,
and, because we’re operating from
sovereign American territory, we
don’t have to ask any other nation’s
permission to get the job done. The
Navy-Marine Corps is America’s
away team. We never get a home
game; we don’t want a home game.

But equally, in times of peace andin times of war, Sailors and Marines are not just at theright place at the right time, but the right place all thetime. There is no ‘next best thing to being there.’”The secretary said presence is critical, and the Navyachieves presence through people, platforms, powerand partnerships.

“We’ve got the best force we’ve ever had in terms
of people,” he said, noting the Navy’s continued commitment to improving the certainty of deployment
cycles, offering professional development and education opportunities, improving diversity, and eradicating sexual assault and suicides.

“If we continue to act the same way, think the sameway, come from the same backgrounds, we’re in trouble,because a predictable force is a defeatable force,” Mabussaid. “Every time we open it up, not diversity for diversity’ssake, but just diversity of experience, diversity of thought,diversity of where you’ve come from, what you’ve beenthrough, makes us a better warfighting force.”In terms of platforms, the Navy will “get back to 300ships by the end of this decade and 306 ships, whichis our current force structure-assessed need, by 2021.We’re going to have the ships we need to do every mis-sion that we need to do.”Power, he said, can be used as a weapon.

“Look at what Russia did to Crimea, what Russia didto Ukraine. One of the things I don’t want to do is haveit used as a weapon against us.”Toward that end, Mabus in 2009 came up with thegoal that by 2020, at least half of all Navy power afloatand ashore would be derived from fuel sources otherthan fossil fuel.

“We got there last year on our bases; we’re five years
early. And we’re going to get there, we’re at 30 percent
at sea now. We’re going to get to 50 percent, at least,
by 2020,” he said.

Referring to the fourth “P” — partnerships —Mabus said his goal in traveling 1. 3 million miles, visit-ing 152 countries and territories, going to Afghanistan12 times, was to connect directly with Sailors andMarines where they’re deployed, “listen to them whilethey’re standing the watch. Sailors and Marines willtell you what’s going on, they will tell you what theirconcerns are.”The most important partnership the Navy has iswith the American people and connecting them withthose Sailors and Marines.

“It’s dangerous in a democracy when the peoplebeing protected and the people doing the protectingget too far apart,” he said. “And that’s why things likethe Navy League, the people that are here tonight, areso very important to make that connection with theAmerican people.”Over the course of 241 years, the Navy has the samemindset today as in 1775, Mabus said, “wanting toknow what’s over the horizon, willing to go over thathorizon and meet whatever is there on behalf of thiscountry. Willing to leave home and family far behind.Willing to sail and fly and submerge, on behalf of theUnited States of America. It is as true today as it waswhen President George Washington said, ‘It followsthen, as certain as night as succeeds day, without adecisive naval force, we can do nothing definitive, andwith it, everything honorable and glorious.’” n

Navy Birthday Ball attendees rounded out the evening by dancing to music
provided by NYX Entertainment.